Egg washer



W. J. READING Nov, 16, 948.

EGG WASHER Filed July 28, 1944 w R J INVENTOR WaH'er W M W Patented Nov. 16, 1948 EED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to poultry egg cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to an improved machine for the designated purpose such as is particularly adapted for use by poultrymen or egg wholesalers and the like to remove barnyard soil from eggs before marketing thereof.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a compact and mechanically simple machine for the designated purpose; the machine being adapted to be operated economically and with improved ease and facility to provide more perfoot cleaning of the treated eggs. Other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification herein.

In the drawing Fig. l is a vertical section through a machine of the invention, showing a batch of eggs in process of being cleaned;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top View thereof, as along line II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing by way of a typical exemplification thereof to comprise a washing tank ii of rectangular box form such as may be conveniently constructed of sheet metal, wood or any other suitable material and having an open top closed by means of a hinged lid and to contain a supply of egg cleaning fluid up to the liquid level indicated at l2. At one end of the tank l and interiorly thereof is disposed a combination egg scrubbing and elevating mechanism including a cylindrical brush I5 carried by a vertical shaft I 6 upon suitable bearings as at l8 and i9 at the top and bottom plate portions of the tank i0. A belt and pulley drive device is coupled to the brush shaft 16 as at 20, and it will be understood that the drive belt will be coupled in turn to any suitable power device such as an electric motor (not shown).

Generally concentrically of the brush I5 is a vertically extending cylindrical wall unit 22 comprising a plurality of vertical staves 24 which are encircled by a pair of tension springs 25-46 at vertically spaced positions thereon so as to bias the staves 24 inwardly toward an integral cylindrical wall form. The stave elements 24 are so shaped and dimensioned as to provide the latter to mutually assemble, unless otherwise restrained, under the tension forces of the springs 26-26 into the form of a cylindrical wall disposed concentrically of the brush l5 and of sufficiently larger diameter than that of the brush so that an annular space 28 is provided between the brush and the wall unit, The parts are so proportioned and arranged that the space 28 is of such width as to accommodate therein at all sides about the brush iii a plurality of eggs of the type to be processed, when disposed with their minor axes transversely of the space, as indicated at 30. Due to the spring pressed arrangement of the staves, the cylindrical wall will be permitted to have a limited amount of floating action about the brush, and a suitable bracket device may be employed to maintain the cylindrical wall unit from floating out of proper operative position. This device may comprise a supporting flange 64 secured to the front of the unit and extending to the opposite side walls of the tank. A helical sheet metal ramp 32 is arranged interiorly of the wall unit 22 so as to encircle the brush without interference with its rotation and/or expansions of the wall unit 22 against the elastic forces of the springs 2-6-26. Thus, the helix 32 provides a spirally ascending ramp between the brush and the wall 22 for guiding a procession of eggs from the region at the bottom end of the brush l5 into the region of the upper end thereof. The ramp is preferably formed with finger devices 60 extending radially therefrom between adjacent staves so as to prevent the latter from rotating about the ramp in response to rotating brush and swirling water forces.

An egg supply tray 35 is supported in the bottom portion of the tank I 0 upon support brackets 38 and 38 in such manner that the tray 35 is slightly inclined downwardly toward the bottom end of the brush I5. At its upper end the tray 35 is pivotally secured under a headed pin 39 extending from the bracket 36, whereby the tray is freely reciprocable in sideways directions as Viewed in Fig. 1. At its other end the tray '35 rests upon the bracket 38 and is formed with an extending lip ll! which is suitably apertured at 1 to journal upon an eccentric cam device 4-2 which is keyed to the 'brush shaft H5; whereby it will be understood that as the brush rotates the cam 42 will simultaneously actuate the egg supply tray '35 so as to reciprocate it sideways. The tray has a tapering end where it joins the lip 40' and an upstanding flange 62 extends along each tapered edge, whereby the eggs are guided toward the wall and the brush and subsequently into the space therebetween. Thus the tray will shufiie the supply of eggs as indicated generally at 44 downwardly into consecutive feeding relation through a feeding port 45 which is defined between the upper surface .of the tray 35 and the lower end of a partition plate 45 extending transversel-y of the tank interior from opposite Walls thereof. The egg feeding port 45 is limited vertically to such dimension as to permit only a desired rate of egg passage therethrough into the region of the lower end of the ramp device 32 and into rubbing engagement with the brush I5. The lower end of the wall opposite this port is cut away at 63 so as to permit the eggs to pass along the end of the tray to the interior of the wall.

Thus, it will be understood that a supply of eggs to be cleaned may be lowered into the bottom portion of the tank H) to rest upon the feed tray 35; the tank I being filled to the indicated level with a supply of egg cleaning solution such as a lye solution, or the like. The brush driving motor may then be started and the reciprocative sidewise motion of the tray 35 will feed a continuous stream of eggs between the tray flanges 62 into the region of the lower end of the brush l whereby the eggs will contact the bristles of the brush and be wiped onto the receiving end 32 (see Fig. 3) of the spiral ramp 32 into scrubbingposition between the brush l5 and the resilient wall unit 22. .As the brush continues to rotate the bristles thereof subject the eggs to a scrubbing action and simultaneously the rush of water upwardly through'the cylinder due to rotation of the brush pulls them around the ramp in such manner as to cause'them to climb the ramp for final ejection from'the upper end thereof .as illustrated by the egg at position 48. To facilitate ejection of the scrubbed eggs from the upper end of the scrubber the cylinder wall structure is cut away as indicated at 50, and the upper end of the spiral ramp 32 is formed with a radial discharge land A gathering tray is preferably employed as indicated at 55 to. comprise a shallow screen or box-like member adapted to be detachably supported within the upper portion of the tank It! upon-bracket devices 5651 extending from the tank structure. The tray 55 is so arranged as to receive the eggs as they are discharged from the scrubbing unit and to convey them with slow rolling movements toward the opposite end of the receiving tray. It will be appreciated that inasmuchas the entire egg transporting movement takes place under the upper level of the cleaning solution the eggs are semi-floating in the liquid throughout the entire cleaning process, and therefore the eggs are transported throughout the entire operation in liquid-cushioned fashion whereby possibility of egg breakage is obviated.

A particular feature and advantage of the egg scrubbing and elevating device of the invention resultsfrom the novel resilient wall form of the cylindrical container 22 surrounding the brush and elevating ramp devices. Because of the resiliency characteristics of the springs 25-26, the staves 24 are normally maintained in mutually close fitting relation so as to permit the eggs to slide and roll around the ramp while their major axes are disposed substantially vertically. However, due to the ovate forms of the eggs they naturally tend to gyrate about their minor axes under the wiping action of the brush at least to such extent as to provide scrubbing contact by the brush over all of the egg surfaces; and whenever an egg tends to wedge to some degree lengthwise across the space between the brush and the container wall 22 the stave or staves receiving the correspondingly increased egg pressures will simply retreat against the action of the springs 26-26. Thus, breakage of eggs is avoided and the eggs are enabled to roll and tumble universally as they move through the scrubbing device; but

means for resiliently the elastic container wall structure generally guides the eggs to maintain their major axes vertically.

It will also be appreciated that the cleaning method of the invention provides improved egg cleaning results because the eggs are initially solution-soaked while resting upon the supply tray 35. They are then simultaneously elevated and scrubbed by the brush [5 while being universally tumbled by reaction forces of the brush and the ramp and the wall staves. Ultimately the eggs are discharged to float into the receiving basket 55 which is disposed in the region of the upper and relatively cleaner portion of the bath within the tank; and the cleaned eggs may be removed at will by simply lifting the basket 55 out of the tank. If preferred, the brush may be so rotated as to reverse the egg travel direction from the upper zone of the tank downwardly into the lower zone thereof,

A sediment discharge and solution changing drain plug is connected into the bottom plate of the tank as indicated at 56; and a solution heating element 58 is preferably mounted under the tank In at some bottom portion thereof for maintaining the cleaning solution at the temperature for optimum cleaning results. This heating element may comprise any suitable form; and as shown in the drawing by way of one example only it may consist of a small gas burner housed within a partitioned portion 59 at one end of the tank.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An egg cleaning device comprising a tank adapted to contain an egg cleaning solution, a vertically arranged cylindrical wall mounted within said tank and having its lower portion submerged in said solution, the said wall comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending separable staves, means for resiliently restraining said staves against outward movement to normally maintain said wall at predetermined diameter, a rotatable brush submerged in said solution and mounted in spaced relation to the inner surface of said wall, a stationary helical ramp carried by said tank and mounted in the space between said wall and said brush, egg feeding means mounted in the bottom of said tank in said solution for initially wetting the eggs with the solution and for feeding them to the lower end portion of said wall and to the receiving end of said ramp, and means located within said tank at the discharge end of said ramp and submerged in said solution for discharging eggs from the top end portion of said wall into said tank.

2. An egg cleaning device comprising a tank adapted to contain an egg cleaning solution, a vertically arranged cylindrical wall mounted'within said tank and having its lower portion submerged in said solution, the said wall comprising a'plurality of longitudinally extending separable staves, restraining said staves against outward movement to normally maintain said wall at predetermined diameter, a rotatable brush submerged in said solution and mounted in spaced relation to the inner surface of said wall, a stationary helical ramp carried by said tank and mounted in the space between said wall and said brush, a reciprocating feeding tray for supporting a quantity ofeggs in said solution for in- 3 itial wetting and for feeding them to the lower end portion of said Wall and to the receiving end of said ramp, and means located within said tank at the discharge end of said ramp and submerged in said solution for discharging eggs from the top end portion of said wall into said tank.

3. An egg cleaning device comprising a tank adapted to contain an egg cleaning solution, a vertically arranged cylindrical wall mounted within said tank and having its lower portion submerged in said solution, the said wall comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending separable staves, means for resiliently restraining said staves against outward movement to normally maintain said wall at predetermined diameter, a rotatable brush submerged in said solution and mounted in spacedrelation to the inner surface of said wall, a stationary helical ramp carried by said tank and mounted in the space between said wall and said brush, an inclined reciprocating feed tray for supporting a quantity of eggs in said solution for initial wetting, said tray being supported at its outer end by said tank to permit reciprocation thereof in said solution, and means carried by said rotating brush and engageable with the inner end of said tray to cause reciprocation thereof.

4. In an egg washer, a cylindrical wall having a vertical axis and comprising a plurality of staves, said staves being independently mounted so as to permit an equal amount of restrained lateral movement throughout their length, resilient means for holding said staves together to maintain the inner diameter of said wall at a minimum, a stationary ramp carried by said tank and located within said wall, and a rotatable brush mounted within said wall and adjacent said ramp, whereby the eggs may be fed up said ramp from the bottom of said container to the top thereof between said expansible Wall and said brush.

5. In an egg washer, a cylindrical wall having a vertical axis, a cleaning brush rotatably mounted within said wall and in spaced relation therewith, .a stationary helical ramp carried by said tank and located between said wall and said brush for elevating the eggs from the bottom of said Wall to the top thereof, and a radial discharge land at the upper end of said ramp for receiving the eggs and discharging them therefrom.

6. An egg cleaning device comprising a tank adapted to contain an egg cleaning solution, a vertically arranged annular Wall mounted within said tank and having its lower end portion disposed in said solution, a rotatably mounted cylinder brush located within said wall, the periphery of said brush and the inner surface of said wall being so proportioned as to provide a space therebetween of substantially uniform width and of a size to accommodate the passage of minimum sized eggs, said wall comprising a plurality of loosely mounted staves arranged in contiguous relationship, resilient means encircling said staves for holding them in normal positions, said resilient means permitting the contiguous staves to be spread and thereby successively increase the space between the successive staves and the brush at any position throughout the length of said wall to accommodate eggs of larger size, and stationary feeding means carried by said tank, said feeding means being disposed within said space and being submerged within said solution.

7. An egg cleaning device comprising a tank adapted to contain an egg cleaning solution, a vertically arranged annular wall mounted within said tank and having its lower end portion disposed in said solution, a rotatably mounted cylinder brush located within said wall, the periphery of said brush and the inner surface of said wall being so proportioned as to provide a space therebetween of substantially uniform width and of a size to accommodate the passage of minimum sized eggs, said wall comprising a plurality of loosely mounted staves arranged in contiguous relationship, resilient means encircling said staves for holding them in normal positions, said resilient means permitting the contiguous staves to be spread and thereby successively increase the space between the successive staves and the brush at any position throughout the length of said wall to accommodate eggs of larger size, and a stationary helical ramp carried by said tank and located in the space between said brush and said wall for elevating the eggs from the bottom of said wall to the top thereof.

WALTER. J. READING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 409,754 Phelps et a1 Aug. 27, 1889 790,834 Harve May 23, 1905 1,256,885 Dunkley Feb. 19, 1918 1,407,501 Webster Feb. 21, 1922 1,530,415 Roussel Mar. 17, 1925 1,676,306 White July 10, 1928 1,736,813 Zuckerman Nov. 26, 1929 1,952,619 Benner et a1 Mar, 27, 1934 

